Department for Transport

Network Rail: Reviews

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to receive the results of the review by Sir Peter Hendy of Network Rail projects in Control Period 5; whether those results will be subject to a period of consultation; and if so, who they plan to consult on them.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Sir Peter Hendy will report back to the Secretary of State for Transport this autumn with a proposal for re-planning the Control Period 5 enhancements in a way that is efficient, deliverable and affordable.   As part of this re-planning exercise Network Rail is consulting widely, including with train and freight operators.

*No heading*

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make provision in the spending review for five per cent of transport spending to be for cycling and walking, in order to encourage those undertaking short journeys, in particular children going to school, to cycle or walk.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government intends to announce spending review provisions in November 2015 followed by a Confirmation of Statement of Funds Available, setting out the financial provision for cycling and walking, in December 2015.   This Government has a legislative obligation in the Infrastructure Act 2015, to make provision for cycling and walking. The Act provides a duty on the Secretary of State to set a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) as soon as practicable; which must specify (a) objectives to be achieved during the period to which it relates, and (b) the financial resources to be made available by the Secretary of State for the purpose of achieving those objectives.   Government has commenced work to develop the first CWIS and will be engaging with interested parties during the development phase.

*No heading*

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect consumers by tackling the use of odometer adjustments to reduce the mileage shown in cars.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Mileage fraud is an offence and is dealt with by local Trading Standards enforcement. Government requires the vehicle mileage to be recorded on the MOT form. This allows consumers to check previous mileages for a vehicle on line at the GOV.UK website.

*No heading*

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the last major maintenance work was undertaken on the first and second Severn crossings, and what was the cost of that work.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In September 2013 Severn River Crossing Plc (SRC) carried out major refurbishment of the movement joint and structural connection between the Wye Bridge and the Beachley Viaduct on the M48 Crossing. The estimated cost to SRC of this work is £0.75m.Since 2006, SRC has been repainting the steel truss of the cable stayed bridge on the M4 Second Severn Crossing. This work is programmed to be completed before the end of the concession and to date the estimated cost to SRC is £5.1m

*No heading*

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the annual cost of maintaining the first and second Severn crossings in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Severn River Crossing Plc (SRC) is required to maintain and repair both Severn Crossings. This includes performing regular maintenance and inspections work and carrying out any necessary repairs.  Separate maintenance costs are not available. The figures below for both crossings show all of SRC’s operational expenditure including maintenance on both crossings.   YearOperational expenditure (including maintenance) £m20058.7520069.90200710.62200810.65200910.71201010.70201113.03201213.05201314.37201413.16

*No heading*

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many ships were on the United Kingdom register in 2005, and in each year thereafter to date.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The number of ships over 100 GT on the UK register in 2005 and to date are detailed below. All totals were correct at 31st December in the respective year.   December 2005 1,438 December 2006 1,456 December 2007 1,481 December 2008 1,550 December 2009 1,553 December 2010 1,503 December 2011 1,469 December 2012 1,401 December 2013 1,360 December 2014 1,327 The figure for 2015 - 1,328 is up to and including 31st August.

*No heading*

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the regulations governing ship registration in the United Kingdom with a view to increasing the number of ships in the world fleet on the UK register without reducing standards.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are no specific plans yet.   The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is currently recruiting a new Director of the UK Ship Register (UKSR) for whom an early task will be to review current regulations in light of the aspiration to grow the UKSR, and make any appropriate recommendations.

*No heading*

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to (1) investigate options, and (2) consult on proposals, to widen the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down following the A303/A30/A358 corridor feasibility study last year, and which organisations and individuals they plan to consult during each exercise.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to implement a tunnel for the A303 in order to avoid the entire surface area of the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of a twin-bored A303 road tunnel at Stonehenge of length (1) 2.9 kilometres, (2) 4.5 kilometres, and (3) at least 7 kilometres, in order to avoid the entire surface area of the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site and its setting.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought, or intend to seek, funding outside their own resources (1) in Europe, and (2) globally, for a road-widening solution for the A303 that avoids the entire surface area of the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site by the use of a tunnel.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Road Investment Strategy is clear that the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme involves a tunnel of at least 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres). Highways England is in the early stage of scheme development, looking at options, including the length of tunnel. Consultation on options will take place in 2017 and will involve stakeholders, local residents, businesses, road users and interested parties.   Highways England does not yet have reliable cost estimates for a 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometres), or 4.3 miles (7 kilometres) tunnel. This information would become available during the consideration of options. The A303/A30/A358 Corridor Feasibility Study indicated that the cost estimate for a 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) tunnel is in the range of £864m to £1321m.   To date, Highways England has not sought funding outside of their own resources to fund a solution for the A303 past Stonehenge although this does not preclude them from considering other funding sources in the future.

*No heading*

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought, or been given, the advice of the National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites concerning proposals for dualling the A303 through the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site; and if so, what advice they received.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highways England is currently in the early stage of scheme development looking at options and to date have not sought the advice of the National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Department for Education

Primary Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote education on careers and work in primary schools.

Lord Nash: The government wants to see improvements to the extent and quality of the careers advice, guidance and inspiration that young people receive throughout their education, helping them to be better prepared for the world of work and able to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Children who can see the relationship between what they are learning and the possibilities it opens up for them in later life are likely to be far more motivated to achieve and we are committed to broadening their aspirations to do this. It is not easy for children of primary age to make a connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it relates to the world of work. The government is delighted to support Primary Futures, a programme which is intended to change that. The national initiative, led by the Education and Employers Taskforce and the National Association of Head Teachers, enables volunteers from a wide range of professions to visit primary schools to inspire pupils.

*No heading*

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to build self-confidence in children and young people in secondary schools, especially those who do not perform highly in academic subjects.

Lord Nash: The Government has high aspirations for all children. In order to achieve their potential all children need strong academic skills as well as a complementary set of character attributes, such as resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment. That is why we have invested £5 million to expand the capacity of schools and voluntary organisations to deliver character education.   The Government is also committed to expanding the National Citizen Service so that every 16 and 17 year old is guaranteed a place on the programme. Participation in the National Citizen Service gives young people the chance to develop skills for work and life beyond school.

*No heading*

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent it is their policy that maintained secondary schools and academies have a duty to develop the social and interpersonal skills of all pupils in their care.

Lord Nash: Schools have a duty to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils. This may be done through the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, or the whole school ethos. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a non-statutory subject that can contribute to the development of pupils’ social and interpersonal skills. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and we have made this expectation clear in the introduction to the new national curriculum.   We also want to ensure that all young people develop a range of skills and attributes, such as team-working, resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment. This is why the Department for Education is investing £5 million to expand the capacity of schools and voluntary organisations to deliver character education.   The Department for Education has published guidance on promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils for both maintained and independent schools, which can be found online.

Cabinet Office

Charity Commission

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of serious incidents the Charity Commission has received this year; and what is (1) the average, and (2) the maximum, time delay in investigating those reports.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply.



Charity Commission Reply 
(PDF Document, 66.7 KB)

Petitions: Freedom of Information

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies to the names, addresses and other personal information, in whole or in part, that forms part of a petition that has been delivered to a public authority to which that Act applies.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies to all information held by a public authority. However the Act contains an exemption that would protect the names, addresses and other personal information within petitions submitted to and held by public authorities.

Civil Servants: Sick Leave

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average number of days lost through sickness in the Northern Ireland Office, and in the civil service as a whole, over the last five years.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Statistics on average days lost across the Civil Service are collected and published by the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis. Year endingNorthern Ireland OfficeAWDL per staff yearCivil ServiceAWDL per staff year31 March 20108.88.831 March 201112.18.231 March 201210.37.731 March 20133.27.631 March 20146.47.331 March 20155.97.4 The Civil Service actively manages sickness absence and we continually review our progress. We strive to improve health and wellbeing at work for our staff and this remains a priority The Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year in the Northern Ireland Office has reduced from 8.8, for the year ending 31 March in 2010, to 5.9, for the same period in 2015. The Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year in the Civil Service has reduced from 8.8, for the year ending 31 March in 2010 to 7.4 for the year ending 31 March 2015. These statistics demonstrate that we have made significant progress in reducing sickness absence in the Northern Ireland Office and the Civil Service as a whole. We are continuing to work with both line managers and staff to address absence issues.

Peers: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7 September (HL Deb, col 1213) that a Peer who is a special adviser will be able to vote but not contribute to debates, by whose authority this rule was established, and on which occasions it has been applied.

Lord Bridges of Headley: It has been accepted practice under successive administrations that special advisers can vote but not speak.

*No heading*

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many international students have come to the United Kingdom to study in the period 2010–15; and how many international students have remained in the United Kingdom following the conclusion of their studies in the same period.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UK Statistics Reply 
(PDF Document, 211.89 KB)

*No heading*

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of current job vacancies in each region in England.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of current job vacancies in (1) Scotland, (2) Northern Ireland, and (3) Wales.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UK Statistics Reply 
(PDF Document, 115.36 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to raise awareness of government projects designed to help small businesses.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is already undertaking steps to raise awareness of government projects designed to help small businesses.   For those firms looking to export, UK Trade and Investment provides tailored advice, information and support to small businesses, whether exporting for the first time or more experienced exporters seeking to expand their business into new but challenging markets.   UKTI runs events for small businesses in towns and cities across the country, providing access to support and information locally and discussions with trade advisers. It also works with partner organisations such as the Business Growth Service, Growth Hubs, the major banks, and chambers of commerce to help small businesses export. UKTI delivers thousands of international business opportunities for companies to access online and also runs online exporting webinars with 15,000 companies expected to attend 500+ events this year. Support is also made available through gov.uk/ukti and across UKTI social media channels.   Building on this the Government is launching Exporting is GREAT (part of the award-winning GREAT campaign) during Export Week in November 2015. The Government’s most ambitious export campaign ever, it aims to inspire and support 100,000 new British businesses to sell their goods and services overseas by 2020. Export Week itself will see over 90 events across the UK, attracting over 5000 companies to attend exporting related activities in a single week  For advice on hiring apprentices, the Government works with the Skills Funding Agency to encourage businesses of all sizes to recruit apprentices and trainees through its free online vacancy filling system.   The offer includes the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, which provides a £1,500 grant for employers with less than 50 staff for each of their first five apprentices aged 16-24, supporting small businesses who want to recruit apprentices in this age group. By joining forces with HMRC more than 90,000 businesses of all sizes are made aware of our apprenticeships offer every month.   We also work with the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce to encourage more small businesses to embrace apprenticeships.   For other general business support, we have established a network of regional Growth Hubs which offer support and advice at the local level, as well as the online Business Growth Service, designed to help high growth companies reach their full potential.

Neurofibromatosis: Research

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that medical researchers are encouraged to work in the field of neurofibromatosis type 1.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are currently no initiatives encouraging research into this area. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. It is an independent research funding body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.   In keeping with the Haldane principle, decisions on specific research priorities and funding are taken by the Research Councils based on advice from the research community through peer review The MRC welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

Rugby: Tickets

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken regarding the sale of tickets for the 2016 RBS 6 Nations series that are being offered for sale before being released by the organisers on secondary-market websites that do not provide the details required under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Trading Standards are the designated enforcers for the ticketing provisions in Chapter 5 of Part 3 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and cases of non-compliance should be brought to their attention. Consumers can report the matter through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (03454 04 05 06) who will pass complaints onto Trading Standards where appropriate. where the issue is one of fraud or e-crime, this should be reported to Action Fraud the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre, (http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud).This applies to the RBS 6 Nations Series as well as other future events.

Tickets: Sales

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to announce the chair, membership and terms of reference of the group conducting the statutory review into the secondary ticketing market; and whether they plan to include representatives from the Rugby Football Union, the Glastonbury Festival, and the security management team at The O2 on the proposed panel of experts.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The review which we will announce shortly will welcome contributions from all stakeholders in the sector.

Commodity Markets

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the 30 per cent drop in Anglo American PLC's profit, whether they are taking part in any discussions about the health of the United Kingdom commodity market.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Her Majesty’s Government has made no contact with Anglo American PLC, and no discussions have taken place about the health of the UK commodity market.   Conditions in the global commodity market remain challenging across all sectors, chiefly the result of the on-going glut in oil supply, the prospect of further capacity coming on stream from Iran and Iraq and continuing uncertainty regarding China’s economic prospects. BIS monitors metals markets, but responsibility for specific commodity markets is spread across different departments.

Directors: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the number of board members from ethnic minorities.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We believe it is the best interests of business to tap into the richest and widest talent pool. There are no current plans for any Government led activity to increase the number of board members from ethnic minorities.

Overseas Trade: Iran

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice and clarification on trading sanctions they have given to United Kingdom businesses wishing to develop trading opportunities in Iran.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is working with Foreign Office, BIS, the Export Control Organisation, HMRC and HMT to provide coordinated communications to UK industry on sanctions. Activities include 1:1 meetings with major UK companies; group briefings held at the Foreign Office; clear sanctions guidance and FAQs on GOV.UK.   UKTI has tailored its outreach to reflect the needs of business as reflected in its survey of over 1000 companies earlier this year. BIS Helpline operators and Trade Advisors have been briefed on the latest sanctions information.